- “My whole life, I did what Ego wanted. Then I did whatever the Guardians wanted. I need to go out and discover what I want.”
- ―Mantis[src]
Mantis is a superheroine from Marvel Comics who appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making her debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. She is the half-sister of Star-Lord.
Mantis was created by Steve Englehart and Don Heck.
Background
Mantis was raised by the living planet Ego from when she was young. As a result of being raised in isolation with Ego, she has little to no additional social interactions, and tends to be naïve, shy, and insecure.
Appearances
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
After the Guardians crash landed on the planet of Berhert, following their escape from the Sovereign, Mantis was introduced to the team alongside Ego. During this time, she tries to befriend Drax, who finds her ugly, though she doesn't get and take offense in his insults. When the team travels to Ego's planet, the two finally bond when Drax recall how he met his wife, and lament at her and their daughter's demise.
Later, Mantis would betray Ego when she warns Drax what the former did to his own children, which Gamora and Nebula would eventually found out for themselves. Then during a three-way battle between the Guardians, the Sovereign, and Ego, Mantis uses her empathetic power to have Ego "sleep", buying the team plenty of time for Baby Groot to carry Rocket's makeshift bomb to Ego's brain. During the conflict, however, Mantis is knocked out by a destroyed Sovereign drone, and Ego wakes up to resume his attack. Drax later carries her to the surface so she can be rescued. After Ego and his planet are destroyed, Mantis would stay with the Guardians, and becomes a member of their team, as they and the other Ravagers held a funeral for Yondu.
Avengers: Infinity War
When the Guardians pick up Thor, Mantis wakes him up with her powers on Quill's order. The team decides to separate. While Groot and Rocket accompany Thor to create a new weapon, Mantis goes to Knowhere to retrieve the Reality Stone with her remaining teammates. However, Thanos kidnaps Gamora after using the Reality Stone. Mantis goes to Titan, where she and her teammates meet Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Spider-Man and decide to ambush Thanos and take the Infinity Gauntlet and the Infinity Stones. However, Thanos manages to take the Time Stone and goes to Earth.
Mantis is one of those individuals who are turned to dust by Thanos' snap.
Avengers: Endgame
Due to Bruce Banner's snap with the use of Infinity Stones, Mantis is brought back to life, along with all half of life in the universe. She appears with the other Guardians, the Avengers, and the Masters of the Mystic Arts to fight Thanos and his forces on Earth. She aids other female superheroes in helping Captain Marvel get to the Quantum Tunnel by fighting off Thanos' forces before the Mad Titan manages to destroy the Quantum Tunnel.
After Tony Stark snaps his fingers with use of the Infinity Stones to destroy all of Thanos' forces, Mantis and the other Guardians appear at Stark's funeral. She and the other Guardians return to space with Nebula and Thor as new members of their team.
What If...?
Mantis appears as a background character in "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?", dancing at his party.
Thor: Love and Thunder
In the deleted scene, Mantis began to mimic sounds with Thor.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
In December 2025, Mantis and the Guardians want to make Christmas very special for Peter as he is still depressed about losing Gamora. Mantis discusses with Drax about how they could make Peter happy. It is revealed that Mantis is Peter's sister and Drax is the only one who knows about this. Drax tries to convince Mantis to tell Peter her secret, but she is so focused on wanting to make him happy and get the perfect gift: Kevin Bacon. Mantis and Drax fly to earth and enjoy the festivities that come with human Christmas.
Mantis and Drax track down Kevin Bacon and knock on his door, hoping he will let them in, but he declines and locks his gates. Mantis and Drax try different ways to get into the celebrity's home, including Drax throwing Mantis over the fence. They manage to break into Bacon's house, much to his horror and Mantis uses her powers to calm him and trick him into coming to Knowwehere with them.
Once they are back on Knowwhere, Mantis and Drax reveal Kevin to Peter, much to his horror that have kidnapped someone and put a trance on him to get him to come. Peter demands Mantis to free Kevin, which she does and he runs in fear. However, seeing how much he means to Peter and the idea of family, Kevin Bacon agrees to stay a little longer and decides to perform for the Guardians.
Shortly before the performance, Mantis comes clean to Peter as to why she wanted to make Christmas so special for him, and reveals to him that she is his sister. Peter is speechless and Mantis gets teary-eyed, thinking he will hate this news. However, Peter is thrilled to learn he has gained a sister and says it is the best Christmas gift he could ever get. Mantis happily hugs her brother as they wish each other a merry Christmas and listen to Kevin Bacon's performance with the rest of the Guardians.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
In 2026, several months following Christmas, the Guardians are still operating from Knowwhere and while dealing with Star-Lord's depression over losing Gamora, Rocket is suddenly attacked by Adam Warlock on the orders of the High Evolutionary. The Guardians try to defend their friend and while Adam is defeated, Rocket is left in a critical condition. The team tries to save Rocket and learns he has a kill switch and that he only has around two days left to live. Learning that Rocket can only be saved by the kill switch override, the Guardians decide to go to OrgoCorp that has the override. When Star-Lord tells Mantis he thinks people die on earth when they are 50 years old, she panics that her brother is dying, offending him. The Guardians rush to try and find the override switch to save Rocket and defeat the High Evolutionary once and for all, but Rocket flatlines until he is able to be revived and the Guardians hug their friend. Following this, Mantis decides to quit the Guardians like her brother as she believes she hasn't done much with her life other than following orders from Ego and her teammates. Mantis expresses her love for the Guardians and leaves for new adventures, while Quill returns to earth and the rest of the guardians do their own things in life, while Rocket becomes the new leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy with Groot, Cosmo, and new members, including a reformed Adam Warlock.
Secret Invasion
In the fight between G'iah and Gravik, Mantis' powers and shape are replicated.
Marvel Animation
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy members Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot encounter Mantis where she takes them through the tunnels beneath the Spartaxian Royal Palace in order to save Star-Lord. They go through various obstacles where Mantis tells them to believe. After the group frees Star-Lord, they end up in the throne room where the Cosmic Seed energy is even after a fight with the robots there and a brief fight with Emperor J'son. When Mantis claims that J'son is a tyrant, she tries to attack him only to be subdued by the Guardians of the Galaxy. While being remanded to the dungeon, Mantis still claims that J'son is a tyrant and that they will eventually believe that fact.
Later on Mantis had escaped from the Spartaxian Dungeon and has joined her cult, the Universal Believers' fellow members in a criminal only auction house on Knowhere. While accessing the vault in Knowhere's Sinus Cavity to look for the Pocket Dimension Vial, Rocket Raccoon, and Drax the Destroyer run into Mantis who has gained Ebony Maw of the Black Order as the latest member of the Universal Believers. They defeat Rocket Raccoon and Drax the Destroyer and then have the Blood Brothers dispose of them on a nearby planet. Upon the two of them being rescued by Star-Lord, Gamora, and Groot, Rocket Raccoon and Drax the Destroyer confront Mantis and the rest of the Universal Believers on their ship that was orbiting another planet. They used a device which converts mental energy into physical energy to aid them in combat. With the help of Rocket Raccoon's lies, the Guardians of the Galaxy cause doubt in the cult's belief and thus removes their powers allowing them to defeat Mantis, Ebony Maw, and the rest of the Universal Believers fanatics.
Gallery
Trivia
- In the comics, Mantis was a human of Vietnamese and German descent whose father left her in the care of a sect of the Kree Empire called the Priests of Pama, who raised her with the intent of eventually mating her with the Cotati to produce a Celestial Messiah.
- Mantis being related to Peter Quill was hinted at and foreshadowed during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, when Ego showed the group all of the women he has been with. One of the women was of Mantis' race.
External links
Mantis (Marvel Cinematic Universe) on Wikipedia
Mantis on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
Mantis on Marvel Comics Database
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